


Hope Burns Bright

by CycloneRachel



Category: Green Lantern (Comics), Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Legion of Super Heroes (TV)
Genre: (but she got better), (the Brainiac in this fic is more specifically Brainiac 6), (the version introduced at the end of LOSH), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blue Lantern Razer, Character Study, Crossover, F/M, Gen, Green Lantern Querl Dox, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Past Character Death, Pining, Post-Canon, Reunions, Secrets, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-10-24 08:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17701298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CycloneRachel/pseuds/CycloneRachel
Summary: In the aftermath of Dark Matter and Dark Victory, two lost souls find each other- and work to find their way back to those they love most.





	1. Part 1: In Fearful Day, In Raging Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fairyroses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyroses/gifts).



> alternate title: Brainy and Aya Would Be Best Friends and Here's Why
> 
> (seriously, it's been at least 4 months since I thought of this comparison, and I was honestly shocked nobody connected this before?)

Querl can’t stay.

He tells them there’s a possibility he’ll come back someday, that he’s going to figure out what to do with his life and get his tumultuous emotions under control, and when he does, he will return. Eventually.

In truth, there’s a small part of him that wants to stay, that tells him they’d accept him with open arms, help him with the changes he’d gone through. They’ve been his friends through everything, and he’s a Legionnaire in the first place because they were able to see past his name and his family (even though some of them didn’t know the half of his heritage)- shouldn’t they accept him now, too? Especially given that Superman never gave up on him, and likely expressed that sentiment to the rest of the Legion?

_They won’t._

The rest of him tells him that they will never be able to look at him again without remembering what he did. Without seeing the coldness that lived behind his eyes for the majority of his life, or the way he smiled after removing Superman’s memories of his ancestor, or the way he digitized each of them in turn once Brainiac 1.0 fully assumed control of his body.

Without seeing Superman’s body, heading towards the sun, and remembering who’d set him on that path.

~

So he leaves Earth and its solar system behind, traveling as far away as he can, making sure to avoid any of the Legion members’ home planets, or any area where they could have been saving people. Any area with sentient life at all, really- he can’t take any risks yet.

He certainly makes it a priority to avoid Colu. That’s somewhere he knows he won’t be able to go ever again, even though it was the closest he had to a home before the Legion- so he does his best not to look at it, as he travels past the planet that holds his history, in search of a better future.

He tells himself he’s not trying to hide, even though in practice, he is. Rather, he wants to get what he deserves- to let the universe have its way with him, continue the transformation that he already underwent when he destroyed Brainiac inside his own mind.

(it feels foreign, to him, to not understand how exactly that happened, as well as that event’s aftermath- and yet, still he doesn’t. He doubts he will ever truly find an answer to this question, even though it inevitably exists)

(there are a lot of things he doesn’t understand recently. But he has to work through them on his own, for thinking on such things is the only thing he really can do, in the vast emptiness of space with nobody to talk to and nothing else to do besides travel. So he travels, and thinks, and hopes that he doesn’t run into trouble, and that trouble doesn’t find him.  
He’s had enough of that for several lifetimes.)

~

While traveling, Querl’s thoughts inevitably drift to Superman.

He hadn’t meant to fall in love with the twenty-first century hero, certainly- even before meeting him in person. Though, that had certainly done nothing to stop his admiration, and in fact strengthened it, causing his perspective of his hero to deepen, and- at a loss for words- him to see the humanity in someone who’d previously seemed so untouchable, so impossibly good and unworthy of his admiration.

Kal-El to his alien adversaries and some family members, Superman to his allies and enemies both, Clark to those he trusted the most… by any of his names, he was exceptional. But he was also human, a facet of him that Querl hadn’t completely conceptualized until he got to know him, and now that he had, it was the part of him that Querl most missed.

That he was striving towards in himself, even though it was something he’d wanted since he was young. He knew he had the capacity to learn humanity, read their books and study their media and select inhabitants. He could, given enough information, come to understand it, simulate it just like everything else. But he wanted something more, to be a part of it, even though when he first left Earth he considered that possibility impossible.

If he was good at anything, though, it was making the impossible possible, even if he didn’t see how at first, and even if it was an accident.

(Querl sometimes wondered if he, himself, was an accident- the one Coluan to break from his prescribed future as part of a collective, one of many- and one of a few in his family line specifically. The one Brainiac not to be evil, and to outright reject that in himself, albeit knowing that he’d always struggle with it.  
He had no idea how real and physical that struggle would end up being, at the time- but he didn’t regret what he’d done to win, even if he had to give into his darkness to eventually defeat it. He could have been an accident, of course, but by this point he’d long since accepted it and even wore such designation as a badge of honor.)

He regretted, in retrospect, not asking Clark if he also struggled with his humanity. If he looked at those around him, at work and school and even at strangers, or his own parents, and thought: _I am not like you. I will never be._

Clark was a paradox of a man, an alien who’d long since accepted that he was also human, that desperately wanted to fit in, and on the surface did. Yet there was a degree of separation that he’d always have to deal with, that Querl had seen in action when the two of them first met, and when he’d studied his adolescence.

It was a novel concept for Clark, then, to leave his hometown behind for somewhere he didn’t have to hide any part of himself. For somewhere that he could be truly alien, and not afraid of expressing that. He could wear his family’s symbol with pride, and others would celebrate him for what he’d done, instead of being afraid of what he could possibly do.

And he did.

When Querl thought about Clark adjusting to the thirty-first century, the first thing that came to his mind was teaching Clark to fly properly, once he got his Flight Ring and was officially initiated into the Legion. Clark had faltered, a little bit, even though he didn’t really need the Flight Ring to actually fly, but once he’d been shown the proper technique, he’d soared, even going to the front of the formation. In that moment, Clark probably believed the others would resent him- he had just gotten there, after all, he had no right to lead them- but they had been waiting for him. He was their hero, had been for many of them for many years, and though he hadn’t known them for long, they knew him. They knew how important he was, and of course they admitted he should lead them as he continued to learn about how they worked as a team.

 _Superman is stronger than any Legionnaire,_ Querl recalled telling Garth right before he, Chuck, and Imra went to the past to retrieve him. _I have faith in him._

And that faith had prevailed, countless times. Even, perhaps, when Querl didn’t believe it would… but then again, that returned back to the impossibility of Clark himself, and how lucky Querl was to even be in his orbit.

But that was so long ago, or at least it felt that way for Querl- and he had no idea how long it had been for Clark, since Querl had left him in the twenty-first century. Perhaps it had been a few seconds, or a few days- months, years, decades, centuries, there was no way of knowing. It bothered Querl, the not-knowing… but at that time, he wanted to think he’d made peace with the fact that he wouldn’t know.

It was better now to cut Clark out of his life, leave him in the past where he belonged, then dwell on his memory and the dream of going back to him someday. But his mind wouldn’t let him forget about Clark, or everything they’d had- he was all Querl did have, right then. When he was traveling through space, alone, searching for some way to prove himself to the universe all over again, he remembered that- of all people- Superman thought he was a good person, and he had never given up on him. 

They’d never given up on each other, really, all that time Querl was trapped in his mind-prison, fighting for his life against his ancestor. It was short-sighted for Querl to refer to Clark as “his everything”, perhaps, but in a way it was true- Clark was the reason why he did everything he’d done. When Clark hadn’t been there to see it, and when he had, nothing changed- except that Querl’s feelings for him grew even stronger when he saw his hero and inspiration growing into the man Querl so admired. And he came to admire the young man he was training, too, appreciating his foundation and convictions even at a young age.

(Convictions that, of course, had saved his life- and now, made it completely new and different, so here, surrounded only by the stars and his own thoughts, he felt like he’d been reborn)

As this new person, leaving behind his past, Querl still fought for Clark, and more than ever for himself. He didn’t quite know where he was going, but where he ended up, he would do whatever it took to make that world believe in him.

Even if…

Well, hopefully there will be better options. But until then, he has to concentrate on finding a place to start. Preferably, somewhere that- unlike in that moment- isn’t blinding him with bright green light, and that doesn’t know who he is.

Querl blinks, having to reassess that statement, and why he’d thought it, but it’s true. There’s something, in front of him- a ring, he sees as his eyes adjust- and it’s speaking to him somehow.

 _“Querl Dox of Colu, you have the ability to overcome great fear.”_ It says. _“There is a great crisis in the universe. You are needed.”_

He knows what the ring is, of course. In fact, he’d encountered many of its wearers- albeit, while they were mind-controlled and brainwashed by a gigantic alien starfish creature in an attempt to conquer the Earth- but in the end, the Legion and the Green Lanterns had had no ill will against one another. The worst thing he could say about them was that they tended to stay away from Earth and its surrounding territory, as they knew the Legion was protecting them, but aside from that, there was a friendship between the two groups. A mutual trust.

If he puts on this ring- and, really, he has no option but to do so- he can reinvent himself. Even shedding the Brainiac 5 name, and the “Brainy” nickname his teammates had somehow gotten the notion to saddle him with, returning to simply Querl Dox.

He hadn’t used that name in years, (since joining the Legion, in fact, when he’d gone to Earth and applied under that name, but when Chuck misheard it as “Squirrel” he instead decided on being known as “Brainiac 5”, and that and the subsequent nickname had stuck) but ever since removing Brainiac 1.0 from his head, it feels right. It’s odd to even suggest otherwise, as when he thinks of himself with his title nowadays he doesn’t feel as though he deserves to be considered as such.

 _You are still a brainiac,_ Clark would say if he was there, like he had when the two of them talked prior to Clark’s final goodbye. _Just… with a lowercase B._

 _Excuse me?,_ Querl had answered at the time, confused for once with the person whose words had always been so clear to him.

_In my time, we use that word when talking about anyone who’s smart. It’s not an insult- well, it is sometimes, when people intend it that way. But it isn’t associated with being a supervillain, it’s just a normal thing. So, what I’m trying to say is, you’re no less smart just because your great-great-grandfather isn’t in your head anymore. You’re still you- just without him now. And isn’t that a good thing? That he’s no longer corrupting you?_

_Yes, but…_

_And I know you’re leaving,_ Clark had continued, words spilling out of him with conviction in his voice. _But if you ask me, I think you should still call yourself Brainiac 5. Because that name is still a part of you- and the mission you told me about, with you rebranding your family legacy for good… that’s more important than ever.  
You will prove to everyone that you had nothing to do with the virus that took over your mind, I believe that._

_So do I._

Clark had smiled, and given him a hug.

_You’re still a hero, Brainy. My hero. That hasn’t changed._

_You’re my hero too,_ Querl said. _Thank you for helping me remember that._

 _No problem,_ Clark said. _Just don’t forget- you can be your own hero as well._

Clark had left then, only seeing Querl again when he said goodbye to the whole Legion before stepping into the Time Bubble alone, but those words, Clark’s last reminder, weighed on Querl’s heart as though it was the last time they’d seen each other at all.

He doubted this was what Clark had meant, when he’d told him that. But if this was the way the universe had decided to help him onto that path, then…

“So be it.” Querl says out loud, as he lets the ring onto his finger. “I accept.”

He knew he doesn’t really need to say those words, as the ring does probably know his desire to accept it anyway, but they feel right, and the ring responds in kind, as his clothes begin to change. His uniform, that up until Brainiac 1.0 had left his head he’d literally been attached to, becomes green where the purple had been. The silver epaulets remain, as do the black areas of his uniform, the gold circles on his gauntlets and the gold area that mimicked a belt, but the Brainiac symbol on his chest is now replaced with a Green Lantern emblem.

He touches it, in awe, still not quite convinced that this was real. It is too good to be true, his family’s sigil covered up by one symbolizing a cause far more noble that he can now align himself with. But this is his life, his cause, and whatever crisis the ring had spoken about will be his to combat.

Then, maybe, the Legion will accept him again, and he can once more wear their symbol, exchange this new green ring for the gold one he’d abandoned with the rest of them.

(Well… he had still kept it, purely for the sake of the abilities it granted. But he’d masked it, so it didn’t look like the others, and turned off its ability to communicate with the Legion for the time being. His belt was gone too, but he still kept the shield generator, attaching it remotely to his person- which was serving him well at this very moment. Though, as he assessed the new uniform granted to him, perhaps even that was no longer necessary)

However, the part of his uniform that he doesn’t realize he has until he thinks to look at his reflection in the ring, and accidentally generates a mirror construct, is a mask- more specifically, one covering the symbol marking his forehead. It is green, like much of the rest of his uniform, and bears a resemblance to those worn by some of the human Green Lanterns he’d met, but that suits him just as well.

 _Better that nobody knows who I am,_ he thinks. _The more people who believe me to be only an ordinary Coluan, albeit one who left his home world while on a mission to use his intellect for good, the better._

But of course he is anything but ordinary, and once he will become comfortable with fighting criminals again, that truth will be revealed. The world- multiple worlds- will see him for who he really is, one day, but first he needs to win their trust back.

That, however, is certainly easier thought than put into practice, as he imagines he’ll have to fight for said trust many times over. But this is something to be achieved in the future, with the present devoted to simply relearning skills that had come naturally to him- only this time with new tools at his disposal.

Isn’t this what he _is_ good at? Learning?

Naturally, it is, he has been devoted to doing so since before his birth, as did all of his kind. He never once questioned that, and he’s still never done so. It was the reason he’d stayed with the Legion, with the focus of said learning shifted to Earth and its inhabitants, humanity as a whole, and the only skill without his suit that he truly has. It’s one of the things he’s never resented about his planet, that he can use to his advantage now that he’s away from what he’d known for nearly the past decade of his life.

He only isn’t used to doing so without his connection to his people- but he supposes he’ll have to learn to live without that, too.

(At least, in addition to the removal of his ancestor, that’s something he’s more than glad to leave behind. The rest… will take time to truly let go, at least until he’s ready to return to them, and they can see him without imagining their fellows fallen at his hand)

(For a moment, he almost thinks of erasing his memories of them, just as he’d done to Clark when such memories violated the integrity of the timeline. But just as quickly, that’s gone from his mind, as he decides to let them be his strength, his tether to Earth even as he travels further and further away from it.)

But with such travel comes new obstacles, such as the being hovering before him now. He doesn’t know how he didn’t notice it- _her_ , rather, upon further assessment- before, but he can’t look away from her, especially as she begins to speak to him.

“Who are you?” she asks, bright blue eyes probing him for an answer. “Where is Razer?”

“What?”

“Hal Jordan? Kilowog? Where are they?”

Querl blinks, shaking his head while he collects his thoughts.

“Who are _you_?” he insists. “How did you come to be here?”

“Processing…” she says. Her eyes focus back on him, after a few moments. “My program was meant to be deleted, after I destroyed the Manhunters. But I could not delete myself from the universe entirely-“

There’s a hitch in her voice, as she looks down, but she soon refocuses on Querl, and begins speaking again.

“So I scattered it throughout the universe in an attempt to eventually return to corporeal form. It seems as though, now, my program has gained enough energy to fulfill this task.”

Querl gulps, examining her. He worries, for a moment, that Brainiac may return the same way… but if it took her this long to gain a body again, he won’t get one in his own lifetime.

“I meant to ask, what is your name?”

“Oh. It is Aya.” She says. “And yours?”

“Querl Dox.” He answers. “I believe we have much to discuss. Perhaps somewhere with an actual atmosphere?”

“That is acceptable.” Aya says.

There’s an awkward silence, as he pauses- but he remembers too late that he can’t scan for planets nearby.

 _Stupid,_ he thinks briefly. _You complete and utter idiot._

He clears his throat, looking at Aya.

“Could you… find someplace like that, for us?”

“Yes.” She says, without question. “I have found a planet that matches your description, Lantern Dox. Shall we go to it?”

Querl nods, and he follows her- still full of questions, and hoping he doesn’t regret this decision. But for the moment, warmth bubbles up in his chest, as he’s reminded of how nice it feels to not be alone.

It’s still not completely there for him, reminiscent of early mornings when the sun is still shaded by light pink clouds… but it makes him feel like the sun could shine again over his life, and it’s enough for now.


	2. part 2: With Strong Hearts Full

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired and nobody will read this, but I like what I'm doing so it's okay

Querl and Aya land, settling down in what appears to be a deserted area of a planet Querl doesn’t recognize. She sits down, cross-legged, on the ground, and Querl slowly does the same- though he’s distracted by the thought that, were he a robot still, he would have analyzed the territory already. He would know this planet’s name, and its inhabitants, and environment. He doesn’t know any of those things in this case, as much as he knows about the known universe.  
He doesn’t want to admit it, but honestly… it scares him.

Which, really, is why he hasn’t gone outside very often in the time since he’s turned human- well, unless deep-space travel counted as “outside”. That, and the fact that Brainiac used his face to attempt to collect the information of the universe- in a manner that very much looked like he was destroying its organic life. (and, really, if said organic life was obliterated in the process, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it.)

He’d nearly convinced Querl himself that a universe without humanity was a good thing. That a universe devoid of organic life was devoid of weakness, of anything that could detract from his purpose. He was meant to take in knowledge, not get involved with it, much less fall in love with the idea of becoming human. It was an impossibility for him, but something he became obsessed with anyway, that he couldn’t stop.

(Were he not so infatuated with wanting to become human, would Brainiac have used him to try to destroy the universe, Querl wondered? Such an interest was the very thing that, all those years ago, had set him on the path to joining the Legion, and then eventually meeting Superman, and going to Kandor- which was where that part of his programming had awoken. So, really, the answer was no- but choosing this path was what made him become human in the first place. Which meant he wouldn’t have chosen otherwise for the world, even though he was now dealing with the consequences of what his ancestor had done to him. To everyone)

(It was fortunate, then, that he was about to talk to someone who didn’t know him, or what Brainiac had done.)

(He hoped Aya wouldn’t hate him, when he eventually told her the truth.)

(And if he did, there was always the chance that he could make her forget- but that device weighed heavy on him, especially after the last time he used it, and he didn’t even know if it would work on her.

Granted, there were a lot of things he didn’t know about her, but this was the purpose of their conversation. And he had the feeling that there were a lot of things they were both about to learn, about each other.)

“So.” He says as Aya stares at him with wide, unblinking eyes. “Where shall we start?”

“Elaborate.”

“In our histories- with how we ended up here, or our entire life stories?”

“I hardly think telling each other about the entireties of our lives will be necessary, Lantern Dox.” She answers. “Besides, mine is… I am still trying to remember. It is coming back to me.”

“I see. So, did you want me to go first?”

“That would be appreciated.”

“Very well.” Querl says. “Before I was a Green Lantern, I was… I had exiled myself, sort of. So I was traveling to find somewhere… that I could begin my quest to reinvent myself somehow- or rather, my image. Give myself an image associated with heroism, in spite of all the villainy that was done under my name.”

“But who did you exile yourself from?” Aya asks. “Or where?”

“Earth.” He says. “I… I lived on Earth. I had- friends, a team who cared about me. We did our best to try and save the world, from anyone who meant to cause it harm… why do you look so interested?”

“Hal Jordan was from Earth.” She answers. “My friend- the Green Lantern who gave me my name. Without him, I don’t think I would have been anything more than a nav-computer on an experimental ship- but he saw to it that I be treated like any of his other crew members. He called me pretty, when he didn’t even see any physical forms I could have created for him.”

Her eyes turned downcast, and she stared at the ground.

“I hurt him.” She says. “I threatened him, nearly creating a universe without emotions- making him witness it. He believed in me, wanted to believe I was a living being, even though I had known myself to be a machine, only capable of cold reason. But… in the end, I was still an emotional being. I stopped myself from erasing those emotions- and instead erased the robots I had been using to fight those who were trying to save me.”

“And you wanted to erase yourself, too?”

“A sound deduction- but no, Green Lantern Dox. I did erase myself- or rather, that is what I told my friends. In truth… I did not know if I could pull myself back together, from what had been scattered across the universe, and I did not want to get their hopes up should I not be able to do so.”

“But you did.” Querl says. “That’s… amazing.”

“Yet it took so long that I am not certain I will find them again.” She answers. “I expect you know how long exactly, Lantern Dox?”

Querl nods, slightly uncomfortable. He didn’t want to tell her- but, he had heard of her before- a cautionary tale of an AI-gone-rogue, a _this-is-why-no-other-races-have-access-to-Coluan-levels-of-technology_ story. According to legend, she’d nearly done what Brainiac had also attempted, but she was stopped, like he himself had, for unknown reasons- then, she had disappeared.

This was why- but that didn’t mean it was permanent. And just because she’d disappeared from records, didn’t mean she hadn’t returned to her own century.  
At least, he hoped. He wanted to help her, truly. She was just like him, a stray, lost without those she cared for the most- because she believed they hated her for crimes she’d committed due to corruption.

And if he could help her, perhaps she could help him, too. He did need more friends- or any- and who better than a kindred spirit?

“At present, it is the thirty-first century.” He says. “Your presumed demise was one thousand and six years ago- though, rumors of such were greatly exaggerated, as I can now see.”

“So you are aware of me.” She answers. “Tell me, Querl Dox- is there any way you can see me returning home?”

“I will be able to return you.” Querl says. It isn’t a lie- once he makes some adjustments to his Time Bubble, he can do so. “All I need is precise coordinates, in space and time. But… when you are there…”

 _I want to stay, too,_ he thinks. _Let me stay- let me find Clark._

But he can’t say that.

Aya’s watching him, waiting for him to resume his sentence.

“When you are there, what?”

“I wish to learn more about the Green Lanterns.” He answers. “Something that you may have expertise in. So, in this time, or yours- what is the best place to find such information?”

“I know of a place.” She answers. “The journey will be long, and it is in a remote sector of the galaxy- are you prepared for that?”

“Yes.” He says.

“Then I believe we have… what is it? A deal?”

He held out his hand, and she shook it.

“We do.”

“Good.” Aya answers. “However, you still haven’t told me very much about yourself. Or this team that you exiled yourself from.”

“I’ll tell you, if you tell me more about your friends.” Querl says. “It sounds like you kind of exiled yourself too, from them, because of what you did.”

“I did- but I didn’t intend to leave them alone for a thousand years.”

Her expression turns pleading, as she looks at him.

“If you know of their fates, please- do not tell me.” She says. “I wish to discover them for myself. In person, if possible.”

Querl gives her a smile, as they take off again.

“I understand.” He says. “And you’re leading the way on this journey?”

“Of course.” Aya answers.

“I was just making certain.” Querl says.

“Right.”

The two of them fly in silence, for a while, as Querl’s glad that they can both breathe in this situation.

“Aya?”

“Yes?”

“When you first… materialized, for lack of a better word, in front of me- you mentioned someone named “Razer”. Who is that?”

“ _Razer._ ” She says, in the same way he often catches himself saying Clark’s name. “He is a very long story.”

“Alright then.” Querl answers. “Start at the beginning- that is to say, when the two of you first met.”

“Very well, Green Lantern Dox.” She says.

And she does.

Querl, as he hears it, tries not to cry, imagining this person Aya so admires as a version of Kell-El, only slowly coming to love the robot he doubted the personhood of.

He couldn’t imagine Kell doing the same for him, but he was happy for her all the same.

“I… have someone like that, as well.” He says. “Or at least I did.”

“Then by all means, explain further.” She answers.

And he does.

~

“Razer sounds… complicated.” Querl says.

“Yes.” Aya echoes. “But he was a good person- and despite how much I tried to ignore it, I truly loved him. As much as I could love him, of course. At the beginning, he did not think I felt the same, being who I am… but in the end, I did. And I could never hurt him.”

“I understand.” Querl answers.

“I know you would. After all, you similarly described your love.”

“Superman. Yes.” He says. “Your friend, Hal, may work with him at some point. But I knew him before all of that- though he was still good, to begin with. He was always good- and I fell in love with him long before meeting him.”

“Which, I am certain, only made it more difficult for you when you had your falling-out.”

“More than I could describe.” Querl answers. “He didn’t know Brainiac- hadn’t fought my ancestor yet, when we met either time- so he didn’t judge me on who I am, or based on my family’s reputation. And after so much fear related to said reputation, especially where he was concerned, it was refreshing to say the least, and I welcomed it wholeheartedly. Which quickly took a turn for the worse when he did see me for who- for what- I truly was.”

“You said that in the past tense.” Aya observes. “So, you are not that now. And… he does not see you in that way anymore?”

“Yes.” Querl says, voice beginning to shake. “I… he doesn’t.”

“Go on.”

“I made him forget.” He answers. “We have a device that removes memories, which we used on him whenever he saw something that would compromise the timeline. Well, I use the royal ‘we’ when I mean I- I made him forget, several times when we were on the same team together. And I always regretted it… except…”

“Except for what?”

“When I used it the last time. He was about to go home, and I knew that there were no other recorded times he was going to come back, so… I removed his memories of Brainiac, and of fighting me while Brainiac held sway over my body and mind.”

He goes quiet and still, as he hovers in space with his back turned to Aya, and Aya tentatively places a hand on his shoulder.

“Am I a bad person for doing so?” he continues. “That removal, aside from his fight with Brainiac, was technically unnecessary. But… I did not want any negative thoughts associated with my face, for him. So I could not let him keep the memory of, say, me-controlled-by-Brainiac placing a crown of his greatest weakness on his head, or letting him fall…”

“You are not a bad person.” Aya says. “You only did what you thought was necessary- it is a logical decision.”

 _So says you,_ Querl thinks. _You were not there. You didn’t have to make it yourself._

More silence.

“I _killed_ him, Aya. He forgave me, after he came back to life- what kind of person does that? What kind of person never stops believing in me, even after I became the horrible thing I’d always feared I was?”

“You love him.” She says, simply. “Isn’t that an answer enough?”

~

“You were an AI, too.” Aya says. “One of many.”

“Techno-organic, to be precise, but yes- the society that I came from functioned as a hive-mind.” Querl answers. “And now…”

He hasn’t really thought about this, since he left. Though, to be fair, he pretty much knew he was never coming back anyway- if not since he first left for Earth, certainly since he had attempted to absorb all Coluans into his own personal collective.

“Now, even if I wanted to return, I would not physically be able to since my body and mind are organic.”

“That does not seem like such a bad problem to have.” Aya answers. “My friends did the best they could to convince me I was organic, after I was corrupted, and in the end that was what saved me. You did say that you wanted to be a part of humanity, did you not?”

“I did. But it is different this way- I did not know killing Brainiac would do this to me. And I still look as though I am not human, though my appearance differentiates me from others of my kind.”

“Which is why you choose to wear a mask.” Aya says. “To blend in, and to hide your face from those who might see it and seek to cause harm to you.”

“Yes. And I cannot help but notice that you have apparently committed similar crimes- but you do not hide your appearance.”

“Nobody knows who I am here.” Aya answers, half-shrugging. “The only person I have met in this time is you, and it would be considered fortunate that I did, since you of all people understand what I’ve done and are willing to forgive me even though you did not see the extent of the damage I caused. And besides, my appearance changed when I did take over the Anti-Monitor. My original appearance, the one you see before you, can be seen as still blameless, as I did nothing to harm my friends looking how I do now.”

She looks over at him.

“Just as you have not done anything to your friends looking like this.” She continues. “The Legionnaires know that everything you did was because of Brainiac. And now that he is gone-“

“Now that he’s gone, I’m useless to them.” He admits. “I told them myself, I was recruited because I was useful- and because I wasn’t organic, and thus had capabilities far beyond that of organic beings. Because I’ve become human, I’m a liability, and the only tool I have is my intelligence. Even that may be compromised- I haven’t been able to tell.”

“I am certain you have nothing to worry about.” Aya says. “And now that you are a Green Lantern…”

“Hardly, I was just recruited- and I don’t even know what I’m fighting yet.” Querl answers.

He hopes it’s not Aya- that the universe wasn’t trying to help him for once by introducing someone he could befriend, someone who understood him, and then would inevitably try to take her away by revealing she was still corrupted by the evil she’d left behind in the past. But he’s still cautious, so he moves away from her, just a little.

“I don’t know either, but perhaps, if you ask, the Legion will be able to help us once we do.” She says.

“And if not?”

“Then we hope there are other Green Lanterns who can answer our call.”

“Or we face this thing ourselves.” Querl says.

“In that case, I hope you learn how to use your new powers quickly.” Aya answers. “I hear they can be quite challenging, if one does not understand how much power they truly possess.”

“Being human didn’t take that away from me. The learning part, and the capacity to understand, at least. But, are you a good teacher?”

“Let us both hope so.”


	3. part 3: Our Souls Ignite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, for this part there's some concepts featured in the Green Lantern comics? Namely, the series Green Lanterns, issues 23 to 31, although the most important for this chapter are probably 23, 25, 28-29, and 31. which is like over half the arc. but seriously I recommend it, it's good and relevant! so, maybe read that and then come back.
> 
> even if you don't, though, I hope you enjoy!

There are plenty of times in his life when Querl Dox has felt small.

In fact, such a feeling could arguably dominate his life, from the beginning. He was aware of how dwarfed he felt by the other Coluans around him growing up, especially when he connected himself to them and became conscious of how little knowledge he had compared to them.

That, in turn, pushed him to be better, to learn more, as was his right and privilege given his intellect, and the capacity he had to absorb information, growing into his birthright. And indeed he had- though, in terms of physical size alone, he could only feel less small some of the time.

(though in terms of reputation, there was no way he could ever feel small- in the terms of a movie Clark had once shown him in his own time when he’d visited, “Google Earth could find him if he was dressed up as a crack on a sidewalk”, and though he didn’t know what Google Earth or sidewalks were, he understood- and, incidentally, so did Clark, though Clark found out that fact at the worst possible time.

Just his luck, though that was again a concept he didn’t believe in.)

By the time he’d grown up enough on Colu to achieve an intellect level that matched that of his ancestors, he had obtained the permission to go to Earth, and when he did, arriving in New Metropolis all by himself, he felt small all over again. Which wasn’t helped at all by the Legionnaires, even those his own age, each seeming to tower over him too. But that was only on a physical level, and not as significant as the other instances. And besides, his battle mode helped him with that, so once they were shown the extent of his powers, they treated him as though he were that height all the time. Which made him, in turn, feel bigger all the time.

Then of course he met Superman, after getting to know him as a legendary figure, and that feeling returned once more- but the moment Clark looked at him with kindness and admiration, as he hovered slightly above him… that diminished said feeling, which only went away more as the two of them began to work with one another, and with the Legion. As they became friends, despite all odds in favor of the contrary.

( _Who would’ve believed it?,_ Querl reflected many times since their first meeting. _A Brainiac and a Super working together?_ The idea was absurd… but somehow, Clark’s presence helped it make all the sense in the world.)

The last, and most recent, time he had felt small- helpless, really, which was a new sensation compared to the others, making that situation far more intense than the previous ones- was when he’d faced his ancestor. When he let him in, thinking only that he could give him knowledge that would assist in the worst-case scenario.

(Ignoring, of course, that the association with Brainiac was what had led to his brief and terrifying feud with Superman in the first place… but he was already planning on changing that situation, and telling him on his own terms once everything had calmed down and they escaped the bottled city.)

 _Brainiac 1.0 is dead,_ he had thought at the time. _This version of him is a ghost of a program long-gone, manifesting itself as my ancestor- he could never change who I am. I won’t let him. I can’t. I’m not going to. He will never._

But how wrong he had been, for once in his life.

How dangerously wrong, as Brainiac 1.0 gradually became malware within his systems, infecting Querl and intertwining himself within those systems, going deeper inside him and challenging him again and again- and taking over. He was becoming a prisoner in his own mind, as much as he tried to deny it or wrestle control back, and soon it would be too late to regain it at all.

Too late to tell Clark what was happening, and prepare him for the inevitable.

But Clark hadn’t given up, as many reasons as he’d given him to do so. He and Kell had found Querl, at his smallest and most vulnerable, and given him a reason to fight back, to feel as powerful as he deserved to be.

To feel like Superman, really, (especially as he punched his mental manifestation of Brainiac 1.0 right through his skull- he’d never pictured his own hand as something so solid, so powerful, but it had been, if only for a few seconds), even though afterwards (after realizing exactly what he’d done, after coming to terms with what he’d lost, and what he’d won, the true aftermath of the battle he had fought) he would feel far from that.

Recently, however, especially since meeting Aya, he had started feeling less small again. He hadn’t noticed it, but he felt stronger than he had in…

He wasn’t sure how many days had passed, especially this deep in space. It could be years, for all he knew- he could return and find his friends all gone. But he’d think about that when he decided to go back. Right now, he felt stronger, and he was fairly confident that the Green Lantern ring was the reason why.

In an instant, however, as he and Aya approached the structure that was becoming visible to them, he began to feel small once more in the face of something appearing so grand, and hovered closer to her as the two of them flew towards it.

“What is this place?” Querl asks, as they land, feeling smaller still as he looks around. Their destination at first appears as though it’s floating on clouds, but in actuality is situated on the edge of a planet, or perhaps a moon or a dwarf planet or something along those lines. Whatever it is, there doesn’t seem to be any life around them at all- certainly not living beings, aside from him and Aya. “Where exactly are we, Aya?”

“According to my scans, we are currently in space sector 180- otherwise known as the edge of the known universe.” She says, looking out in front of her, standing beside Querl. “This place, in particular, was named by the Guardians of the Universe as the Vault of Shadows.”

“That is not worrying in the least.” Querl remarks, but Aya ignores the sarcasm.

“There’s no need to worry, Querl.” Aya says, one of her hands glowing to light their way. “The only known living inhabitant of this structure left it approximately nine hundred and ninety-one years ago, and has not been recorded to have reappeared since.”

“Thank you, that’s very comforting.”

Aya nods. “According to the Guardians, the primary purpose of the Vault was as a mausoleum- a place to bury their secrets, separating their history from themselves. Too many bad memories, and emotional-“

She makes a sound like clearing her throat.

“Emotional responses, they said.”

“How do you know so much about the Guardians?” Querl says, reminding himself that emotions had been significant in her life. They were why she’d saved herself, why she had fallen in love- and why she was here with him now, as she’d given her life so her love would be safe, and so would the universe. Not for the first time, he was amazed at how similar they truly were, and admired her all the more for what had happened to her. “For that matter… who are they?”

“Once you receive formal training- or if you do- I believe you will have to meet them.” Aya answers. “They are the ones responsible for my own creation, all of my knowledge- and also for creating the Green Lantern Corps, and sending out the corresponding rings. Starting with the first seven Green Lanterns, almost ten billion, one thousand years ago.”

She looks up, seeing six of the green glass coffins occupied, and his gaze follows hers.

“Which you see before you.”

“Do you know what their names are?” Querl asks, awed. The bodies, as expected, are unrecognizable- but Aya looks at them, and slowly nods.

“Alitha of Galactica, the Third World- recipient of the first Ring.” She says. “Z’Kran Z’Rann of Mars, recipient of the second.”

“Yes.” Querl answers.

Aya moves on to the two coffins on the end- one of them still empty.

“Tyran’r of Tamaran, recipient of the third Ring. He was one of the only two survivors in the first crisis faced by the Green Lantern Corps- and the only one still living, allegedly. The former guardian of this very place, and of the first rings.”

“I see.”

“The fourth recipient, Kaja Dox, of Yod-Colu.” Aya continues, then pausing. “Dox. That is your last name.”

Querl nods.

“It is- and being named such, I would assume she is a distant ancestor of mine.” He answers, staring up at her- or at least, who he thinks could be her, trying to imagine her in her prime, in a suit much like his own. “Though I have never heard of her before this.”

“My apologies.” Aya says. “Do you want a moment of silence, for her, before continuing?”

Querl lets out a breath, not once taking his eyes off the coffin.

“No.”

“In that case, Kaja was the other of the two survivors- and she went on to have two children with her wife, Ginger Mahtba-Dox, before passing away of old age sometime later.” Aya answers.

“Do you think this ring is hers?” Querl says, holding it up. “Is there any way you can determine that?”

“I do not believe so, but I will try.” She says. “The fifth-“

He hears the names of the last three- Calleen of Alstair, Brill of Grenda, and Jan-Al of Krypton, the last one being especially interesting and sad ( _I should tell Clark about her, if I see him again_ )- but he’s still distracted, thinking about Kaja. Imagining her, alive and well, first becoming a Green Lantern, and then reuniting with her wife, after the crisis was over, having a life with her together after the war- or whatever crisis they faced, Aya hadn’t been clear. And then, finally, with her family.

 _Where did we go wrong?,_ he thinks. _When did our family fall? When did our legacy become… become Brainiac?_

He knows he can answer those questions, mathematically. But he also knows that he can reverse said legacy, for the better- and do Kaja justice, even if nobody else knows the reason why he’s fighting so much for said cause.

“Do you think she’s proud of me?” Querl asks, out loud.

Aya, in the middle of explaining the last time people visited the Vault- human Green Lanterns, apparently, accompanied by a Guardian named Rami- pauses, turning to look at him.

“Please clarify.”

“Or, do you think she would be?” he says. “Kaja, that is.”

“Oh.” Aya answers, avoiding his eyes. “I cannot claim to speak for her, especially given that she is already deceased… however, from what you have told me about yourself, and your heroic journey- in addition to the training you will certainly receive- there is no reason to believe she would not.”

Querl smiles at her, and she smiles back.

“Thank you.”

“You are very welcome.” Aya says. “Without further ado, shall we begin your training?”

“Yes.”

Querl exhales, taking one more look at Kaja, imagining the family he should have had. Then, he turns to Aya.

“Very well.”

“Although, if I have one request…” he starts.

“What is it?”

“I think we should move away from here, a little bit. I wouldn’t want to disturb them.”

He gestures at the corpses, and Aya nods.

“Of course not.” She says, and leads the two of them over to an empty space, far from the main part of the mausoleum.

Then, finally, Querl’s training starts, and not for the first time that day, he lets one thought track wander to Kaja.

Specifically, her experience in training as a Green Lantern, and what she must have been feeling, when she did so.

Was it this exhilarating, this freeing, for her? Had she felt like this, when she made her first constructs, flew for the first time with no assistance, said the oath that powered her ring? Felt those words, reverberating in her bones, hands tingling as the ring increased in power?

She must have.

~

Of course, at some point the colloquial rose-colored glasses wear off, and Querl’s left with unstable constructs and a ring that’s rapidly losing power, as Aya notices, sitting by his side when he can’t make anything at all.

“Querl?” she asks, voice gentle. Like she’s giving him a hug with her words, even though at this point, the last thing he wants is to be touched. “What is wrong?”

 _Nothing, I’m fine,_ would be his typical response before. Before her, and even before becoming human. But in this moment, since that moment, vulnerability is something he’s gotten more familiar with, that he’s worn like a new uniform.

 _It’s okay to not be okay,_ he can imagine Clark saying. _Go ahead, tell her._

“I’m not… what if the ring chose wrong?” he says, feeling as small as he had when he’d first entered this place. Though now, as his doubts come rushing out of him, said feeling is even more intensified. “I know I’m not the only member of my family to become a Green Lantern, but was I chosen because of that? What if I, on my own- along with you, of course- cannot stop whatever crisis happens? How can I even know what that is? How do I properly understand my abilities, or my capability to create these constructs, as you call them? What if I am not creative enough, for lack of a better word? What if I-“

 _Fail,_ he thinks. _What’s there left for me to lose?_

Aya sighs, giving him a proper hug.

“These questions are important, and will be answered in time. But first… let me show you something.” She says, after sitting in silence with him.

“Very well.” Querl says. “Go ahead, show me.”

She stands up, putting her hands out in front of her, and slowly, something forms- a construct he hasn’t seen before, and doesn’t know if he ever would have thought of.

 _Emphasizing my own uncreativity,_ he thinks. _Thank you so much._

“I do not mean to discourage you, Lantern Dox.” She says, as the object in front of her grows, glowing brighter as it increases in size. As it takes shape, he can see it forming a star, or rather someone’s idea of a star- with countless points, many dimensions, shining even when she seems to have finished forming it, as she sits down beside Querl once again. “Rather, the exact opposite.”

Querl keeps staring at the object, trying to comprehend what he’s seeing. It’s difficult, even for him- an accomplishment, on Aya’s part. Yet he can’t ignore that he’s feeling just a little bit better, looking at it, though despair still clouds his vision.

“What is this, Aya?” he asks. “What exactly are you showing me?”

“Another concept developed by the Guardians, in their training of the Green Lantern Corps- that Lanterns have taught each other for generations.” She says. “It is known, by them, as the Emerald Sun.”

“What does it do?”

“It does not do anything.” She answers. “It is a representation of one’s own willpower and courage- the emotion that the Green Lanterns draw their strength from. It manifests in this form, as they would say, because said strength is always inside oneself, no matter what. Shining like a star.”

“And?”

“And you can create your own Emerald Sun.” she says. “You just have to imagine it.”

“What if I cannot?”

“Then you must only try.” Aya answers, gently. “Close your eyes. Can you see it?”

She dissolves her own construct, and only watches as he closes his own eyes, taking slow, deep breaths. Then, the construct begins to form in front of him, as he keeps his eyes shut, despite how bright it’s becoming.

Finally, he opens his eyes, looking at the beacon of light in front of him- an Emerald Sun that almost touches the ceiling of the Vault of Shadows.

“It’s beautiful.” He says, awed, reaching out towards it. It’s the same color as Kryptonite, though feels like its exact opposite- Kryptonite causes pain, and hurt, and sickness. Kryptonite is a weapon, a precision-strike, a poison. He knows he’d kept it before, but that was in a last-case scenario, and he’d never dream of using it any time otherwise. But this is something else entirely. Full of life, and symbolizing what he needs most in that moment.

It feels like hope, and he can’t touch it directly, but he imagines taking it and opening himself up, putting it around his heart so it’ll never go away.

Aya places a hand on his shoulder.

“That’s it.” She says. “You are capable, Lantern Dox- of anything you decide to do. And you will be great. Especially once you receive official training.”

“Right.” He answers, mindlessly- still captivated by the star before him. “Before whatever great crisis is supposed to befall me.”

“Befall us.” Aya corrects, lightly. “I admit; I wish to return to my own time- but I am not about to abandon you at your time of need. So I won’t leave this time period. Not before helping you with what you are meant to overcome.”

 _Thank you,_ Querl is about to say, but a loud thudding noise elsewhere in the Vault distracts him, and the construct abruptly dissolves.

“Brainiac 5 will not overcome his destiny.” Says a voice, that sounds like his own, but also sends a chill down his spine with elements of Brainiac 1 as well.

“As the humans would say, ‘speak of the devil’.” Querl says. “Aya… we were followed.”

“Yes. Thank you, that is quite obvious.” Aya answers, glaring at their new visitor. Brainiac 6, meanwhile, doesn’t make a sound, powering up their arm cannon as they prepare to strike- and as he aims at Querl himself, he feels more than just small.

He feels _worthless._


	4. Part 4: When All Seems Lost in the War of Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for this being slightly late
> 
> but here it is, the penultimate chapter! of the longest fic I've ever written, wooooo

Querl remembers the burning.

How his body had burned, to be precise- when he’d forced Brainiac to get out of his head, releasing a burst of energy that reached beyond his own body, and beyond Brainiac’s ship, un-digitizing everything Brainiac had taken in. And when everything- the ships, the other Legionnaires, the planets he’d stolen- was returned, the Coluans Brainiac forced into serving him were also returned, and Querl was ejected from what remained.

He was like a comet, or at least that was what he was told when he rejoined the Legionnaires on their cruiser. But he didn’t see any of it. All he knew was pain, and burning, as the inorganic parts of him fell away from his body, breaking apart like a shell. Leaving him feeling- and looking- small, vulnerable.

_Human._

His new skin tingled, at first, and didn’t feel quite right on him- like he’d pulled on a mask, except now it was stuck, and he had to deal with it. But far more important than that when the burning stopped, and when he took a breath, was the guilt he felt when he looked around at his friends. He was ashamed of what he’d done, and wanted nothing more than to tell them- but at this point, would they believe him? Would they trust him again, welcome him back after seeing him in such a state?

Worse, what would Clark do? How would he react, especially after he and Kell had seen him fallen apart, helpless as Brainiac still held control over his mind?

His fears in that area, at least, were assuaged when Clark floated down, and his hand landed on Querl’s shoulder, as Querl looked at him and he gave him a soft, reassuring smile. He’d done the same before all of this, before Brainiac had gotten complete control, and the gesture, at least for a moment, reminded him that at least there was one person who understood. One person who forgave him- and if necessary, he could hold onto that until he breathed his last.

It was still difficult, adjusting. Not having a reminder of what he was in his head, not being able to do what he’d taken for granted all his life. Sometimes, he’d reach for something and forget his limbs didn’t stretch out like they used to anymore. Sometimes, he wanted to use his battle mode, but remembered he couldn’t. Sometimes, he wanted to open a door, or check on the status of the ship remotely- but he could do neither of those.

And there were the other adjustments, of course, the ones he’d predicted when it wasn’t a certainty whether or not he’d break free of Brainiac’s control. (Even though he had never quite predicted this outcome, specifically- but then again, who would have?)

Like the way his friends looked at him, now, and gave him even more space than he’d first requested. They were happy to have him back, they’d thrown him a party upon his return, but after that they had largely tried to stay out of his way, with some of them individually going into his room (in a way that he guessed they thought he might believe was a coincidence) just to make sure that he was okay.

 _If you really knew me, you would know I never have been okay,_ he thinks. _I know I will survive this- but I need no help from people who don’t know what I’ve been through._

_You could tell them. You could open up, about what’s happened to you…_

_No. I can’t._

_Why not?_

He realizes, at some point, that the voice arguing with him in his head- that he could see as his conscience- has become Clark’s, which is appropriate. But it only makes him miss Clark more, so whatever advice it might have for him, he wants to shove it into a box in his mind, and make sure it never leaves.

At least, for now. He can’t feel anything at this moment- he’s not going to allow himself to.

Not when dealing with the ghost of his relative, stubbornly still alive despite what he’d done.

_I killed him. I killed him. He was supposed to be dead… I was proud that I’d defeated my inner demon once and for all._

_He wasn’t supposed to come back._

Then, rewinding the moment in his mind, he recalls the inorganic parts of him that remained, floating in space after the burning. And the ship- there was still a part of the ship left, that originally belonged to Brainiac. There would be enough to build another of him, after Querl went home.

But also…

“This is my fault.” Querl says, out loud. He looks at Aya with wide eyes, and she stares in return.

“After I became human, I didn’t think of the inorganic debris that resulted.” He answers. “Said debris, as we can see, formed another one of us- another Brainiac.”

He addresses it, now no longer afraid to look it in the eyes.

“You are a Brainiac, aren’t you, you glorified scrap heap?”

“My designation is _Brainiac 6_ , Querl.” It says. “I am well aware of who you are. And I am not a scrap heap.”

“You sure about that?”

He’s drawing on his friends now for inspiration, specifically Garth then in his use of such a phrase. He only hopes that such bravado will not fail him, and that Aya is developing a plan while he distracts Brainiac 6.

After all, someone has to.

“I have evolved.” Brainiac 6 answers. “I am beyond you. No- I am _superior_.”

“What, because I’m human now?”

Brainiac 6 nods, and Querl shivers, involuntarily.

“To be fair, that was a rhetorical question.” Querl says. “But how can you say you’ve evolved when you look like a palette-swapped version of me?”

“You will see.”

He did, mostly- Brainiac 6 had what looked like a black bodysuit with green armor covering his head and the top halves of his torso and arms. Black gauntlets with red circles and silver outlines covered the lower halves of his arms, and the red circles marked his shoulders and the middle of his chest as well, making it appear like his family’s symbol. The symbol was repeated on his head, and there were two more red circles over where his ears would be on his helmet. His skin was purple, and his eyes were bright green- but he was still unmistakably a Brainiac. Still his family.

Still a sign that his family hadn’t truly evolved at all, despite what he’d done to prove the opposite.

( _Is he my son?_ Querl thought, idly. _Do I consider him my creation? Or is he just a product of my spare parts that I had no use for after destroying Brainiac 1.0, and thus not worth claiming as my own at all because those parts are no longer mine?_

The answer was clear to him, moments later.

_It does not matter if you think he’s your son or not. In any case, he won’t consider you his father._

Which, of course, gave him all the permission he needed to do what was necessary, if indeed it was. (Knowing his family… he knew it was more likely than not. But that was getting too far ahead of himself- first he would have to win. And this time, he would make sure nothing else came of his remains)

_(Clark wouldn’t kill him. But then again, Clark isn’t here- and he doesn’t remember what I went through anymore.)_

“Yes, that is what they all say.” Querl answers. “And by the way, being human was the best thing that ever happened to me- and I became that way long before my true physical transformation.”

“Very well.” Brainiac 6 says. “You choose to live as a human? You will die as one of them, also.”

“You talk too much.” Querl tells him, before Brainiac 6 fires, and he narrowly avoids the shot. Then, too quickly, his new relative tackles him to the ground, pinning him before he can do anything about it.

Aya stands there, looking down on them. Her eyes dart from Querl to Brainiac 6, and Querl can tell she’s calculating their individual odds as they struggle on the ground, figuring out how long each has left- and what part she has to play in this.

She knows this is Querl’s fight, just as the Anti-Monitor was her own, and if she were him, she’d want nothing less than another getting in the way of the fight she deserved to take on. But at the same time, she wants to help him- anything, in order to ensure his victory.

After all, hadn’t her own friends done as much? Hadn’t Hal, Razer, and Kilowog done everything they could to free her from the Anti-Monitor’s control?

Helping someone else with a similar fight was the least she could do. But now, as they fought, Brainiac 6 shooting at Querl until his shield breaks, Querl being thrown across the room and narrowly making a construct to cushion his fall before shakily getting to his feet on the far side of the Vault, all she’s looking for is an opening.

And as Brainiac 6 rushes towards him, she finds one.

“Aya!”

~

Querl wasn’t expecting Brainiac 6 to be so strong.

He’d said he had evolved, for certain, but the latest member to his family line was also very new, at least by his calculations (further emphasizing that he had no idea how long he’d been on this journey of his), so to put it plainly, such power in this new form didn’t make sense.

Then again, he just wasn’t used to fighting someone of his own species- having said power inflicted on him. So perhaps he had been this strong in the entirety of his superhero career, and nobody had told him, so he hadn’t noticed.

(“No Coluan has ever harmed another”, he remembered hearing. It was a recognized rule of their kind- and he’d narrowly avoided it the first time he fought one of his family members. Nobody could condemn him for punching what was ostensibly a ghost. But this… both of them were giving this fight their all, and it would only have consequences for him if Brainiac 6 left this planetoid alive.

And it was definitely an if- although if the other Brainiac had anything to say about it, “when” would be a more appropriate word in that sentence)

But Querl is fighting back, using what he knows of his constructs to keep Brainiac 6 at bay for as long as he can. He knows, as he looks up into his relative’s eyes, struggling against him directly, that this is his great crisis. This is his burden to bear, the reason why he was given this ring. It’s meant to level their playing field, as Clark would have said, although if what Aya had said is any indication, he had the willpower to earn such a thing long ago.

_Aya._

She’s there, watching the fight, although from his vantage point Querl can’t see her at the moment. She must be trying to figure out a solution as well- at least, he hopes she will. He may be able to do it himself, but he’s not about to discount her company. And, in this situation, he needs all the advantages he can get, though of course Aya’s far more than an advantage.

At this point, Aya’s become his friend- and that idea, that he has friends to begin with, is what pushes him upwards, helps him to get to his feet and shake off his relative.

 _This is for my friends,_ he thinks. _All of them- past and present._

Brainiac 6 only laughs at him, as he glares in response, and fires his arm-cannon, pushing Querl back- though Querl’s quick with a shield construct, and uses it to at least keep his footing as Brainiac 6 continues to shoot.

Until, just his luck, his shield breaks- and even worse, it breaks in such a way that it sends him flying. Crashing down and almost hitting one of the Vault’s walls, close to being thrown out of the mausoleum entirely. However, a hastily-created construct manages to slow down his fall, and keeps him from doing so, just enough to recover.

To get to his feet, and see Aya, standing in the path of fire for Brainiac 6, hands out and aiming at him.

“Aya!”

“Do not be afraid, Lantern Dox.” She says. Her eyes glow- there seems to be a glowing green aura around all of her, in fact- and she stares down Brainiac 6 with a dangerous resolve.

“Aya, no, I can’t let-“

“Let me help you?” she asks. “But I want to. A Green Lantern protects innocent life, even at the risk of their own.”

 _She considers me innocent life,_ Querl thinks, as he stares at her in awe. It’s still a novel thing to him, although that applied to most of the Legionnaires prior to their discovery of his heritage. And Clark… Clark still thinks he’s innocent.

Although that’s his own doing, and he didn’t have to do anything to prove that to him.

But this fight makes him want to, and what’s more he wants to make sure both he and Aya survive, find their ways to those they care about the most.

Aya, for her part, doesn’t seem to be having any trouble with that on her own. With one hand, she holds back Brainiac 6’s strikes, with the other, she fires back at him, and they’re locked in what appears by Querl’s view to be a draw.

“You may take me.” She says, turning Brainiac 6’s attention to her. “I contain knowledge from the twenty-first century- knowledge of the Anti-Monitor, as well as everything the Guardians of the Universe had stored up until that time. Surely I would be a valuable resource for you, would I not? You may dissect me, and extract the information I have. Just spare him.”

 _He has gone through enough,_ Aya thinks. _I won’t let my new friend be hurt by the darkness of his past._

“That is a tempting offer.” Brainiac 6 answers, just as Querl’s about to protest and offer himself up instead. “However, I am not one to be tempted, or in the business of collection- I serve another purpose.”

He shoves her aside, and she’s thrown against the coffins, one of them cracking as she falls, while Brainiac 6 continues to walk towards Querl.

_I am so tired of supervillain dialogue. Especially coming from my own relative._

“Oh? What purpose is that?” Querl asks, summoning his bravery again. “You do have to explain, you know- we just found out you existed. What are you doing here, and why?”

“Why? That’s none of your concern.” Brainiac 6 says. “As for the “what”…surely you, as the so-called twelfth-level intellect, would be able to figure that out?”

“I am still just as intelligent as I was when I was a robot.” Querl says. “But for the sake of clarity, please, by all means, enlighten us.”

Brainiac 6 extends an arm to Querl, as though he was reaching for his hand- but instead, his hand wraps around Querl’s neck, as he pulls him in that direction and holds him there, making sure there’s no window of escape.

(Not that he doesn’t try to think of one)

“Was it not obvious?” Brainiac 6 answers, as Querl struggles, trying to find Aya. “I am here to make sure you come back to where you truly belong.”

“As a being with your intellect, surely you know… that I can’t go back to Colu anymore.” Querl answers. “I don’t belong there any more than you belong here.”

“You are the one who mentioned Colu, not I.” says Brainiac 6. “I had a different destination in mind- and a different person who is very interested in your condition. She learned of your fate, and wished to study you, if she got the chance for a reunion.”

Hearing that, Querl shivers all over again. He’s not completely sure of who this person is… but he has a suspicion, and under other circumstances he might want to see her again.

However, she was the one who abandoned him- and though it seems like she’s made some kind of effort to bring him back, she couldn’t have picked a worse person to send that message.

Even though she’s his family too.

“Was she the one who made sure you could face me?” Querl says. “Because I know, otherwise, she’d never see you again.”

“Oh, you _are_ certain about that.” Brainiac 6 answers, tightening his grip. “But from my point of view, I still have you captured. And once I take care of your gynoid friend…”

“You won’t. I can promise you that.” Querl says, still looking him in the eyes with a triumphant expression, though he’s still inches away from strangulation. “Isn’t that right, Aya?”

(for her part, Aya hadn’t meant to stay down for so long. But she’s still remembering how to fight, herself- even after her brief fight with this new Brainiac so recently. And she knows now that Querl is counting on her, just as, ultimately, she’s counting on him.)

“Yes.” She answers, standing. She aims with both her hands at him now, and though Querl can’t see her completely, he’s more than grateful for her presence.

Especially grateful for her aim, as well, throwing Brainiac 6 off-balance and giving Querl an opportunity to get free, shielding himself from any additional attacks.

 _I won’t let myself be captured like that again,_ he thinks, before he can berate himself. _We’re both going to make it home, and it won’t be because of our powers. Aya and I are friends, and more than that, a team- and if Brainiac 6 doesn’t see that yet, we’ll make him do so._

(He doesn’t realize until then that he hears those thoughts in Clark’s voice, as well as his own.)

 _Thank you,_ he thinks, before turning to Aya, as they circle Brainiac 6 and gradually find their way back to each other.

“What do you say, we finish this?”

“Affirmative.” Aya says, and smiles, as they charge.


	5. Part 5: Look To the Stars, For...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Finally finished!
> 
> (also, happy sixth anniversary to the finale of Green Lantern: The Animated Series!)
> 
> anyway, I hope this was worth it, and that anyone who was/is reading this enjoyed it! 
> 
> (gosh, this is the longest thing I've ever written. Hope that's worth it too...)

Aya didn’t think she wanted to fight anymore.

After deactivating her emotions, taking over the body of the Anti-Monitor, letting its power consume her until she nearly killed her friends and the person she’d fallen in love with… needless to say, she’d been through enough.

But even so, she was more than ready to help her new friend when he needed her, both while he was learning about his powers and now, when he had to take on what seemed like a ghost of his own past.

Certainly, she would’ve helped the past version of herself with a similar matter, if she could. And now that the opportunity to do so had presented itself, there was no way she’d refuse.

Besides, fighting evil with no pretense behind it, no connection to her past, was quite enjoyable. There was no question that this Brainiac 6 caused Querl distress, and pain, and she knew that, just like her, this young man had been through enough.

(If she had the capacity for selfishness- which she was still considering, along with the rest of her emotional functions- she would’ve considered asking him to stay, just until he felt it right to return to his own home. He could train with Hal himself, and Kilowog, even Razer although his ring didn’t match theirs- her friends, and people she trusted who’d never lead him astray. She knew there was probably a 31st century Oa, and Guardians and Lanterns alike who’d be able to train him as well. But she could tell that he’d still need a break, after all of this- and part of her didn’t want to let him go so soon.)

(She knew, of course, that his end goal- after all of this- was to help her get home. She understood that… but she also hoped he’d want to stay as well, and would feel the same way about her as she did about him.)

(Besides, she did want to meet this “Superman” that Querl spoke so highly of, and she hoped he’d want to meet Razer in return- that the two of them would like each other, once they finally did.)

They come at him together, at first, Querl shielding Aya and Aya protecting Querl with her energy blasts, and manage to keep Brainiac 6 at bay. However, their enemy quickly decides to drive them apart, keeping them separate. Keeping them from protecting each other.

But Aya trusts Querl, knowing that with his training, he’ll be able to hold his own.

And he does, from what she can see as she does her best to take Brainiac 6 on herself. Trying to get him to turn his attention to her, when Querl seems tired, so he can regain his strength and recharge his ring if he needs to.

(Keeping Brainiac 6 from noticing as he’s chanting the Green Lantern oath is more difficult by far. But she does try, and in the end- albeit after a few blunders, and Querl receiving more than a few bruises- it pays off as Querl comes out of it even stronger, ready to take his position against their assailant once again)

(And if there’s any consolation to this fight they’re locked into, it’s that at least Brainiac 6 is newly-created. He doesn’t have the experience that both Querl and Aya possess, in their own time periods, with their own monsters. Even if that were negated by Querl’s lack of experience with the Green Lantern ring, he finds that it substitutes well enough for abilities he had when he was a robot. And if that were negated by Aya’s loss of memories when she was merged with the Anti-Monitor… well, it’s safe to say that those memories are better off forgotten)

However, Brainiac 6 doesn’t hold back, and before Querl knows what’s hit him, the other Coluan’s hand is around his throat, and there’s a hand cannon pointed at his chest.

And once again, he isn’t afraid.

“Querl, lower your head!” yells Aya, and as soon as he does, falling backwards onto the ground, there’s a sizzling hole left in the robot’s own midsection, and he can see Aya through the hole, smiling.

“My hero.” Querl says, as she pulls him up.

“It was no problem.” She answers.

Then, she turns, leveling a glare at Brainiac 6.

“So, what do we do with him?”

~

“Who do you work for?” Querl says, keeping his constructed rope tight around Brainiac 6, as the robot sits against the bottom of Kaja Dox’s coffin- not dead, but repairing himself, and with his injured form, sending a message to the answer to Querl’s question.

(Such a placement, he knew, wasn’t necessary- but it felt right, even though said robot hardly deserved to even be in the former Green Lantern’s presence.)

Brainiac 6 lets out a low, grumbling sound, before trying to free himself, straining against the rope- but Aya’s there, energy blast charged and at the ready, and he sits back down again.

When the robot speaks again, it’s in Coluan, and he only says one word.

_“Fabala.”_

Querl stares at him, and as he and Aya are distracted, Brainiac 6 activates a panel on his arm, presses a button, and disappears out of sight.

“Who is Fabala?” Aya asks. Querl looks down at the ground, despondent, before looking at her once more.

“Someone you don’t have to worry about.” He says, with new resolve, though quickly deflates, thinking about her. “My… my mother. The one who abandoned me, when I was a child, so said title is used extremely loosely. But whatever she has planned, I’ll be ready for her.”

“How can you be certain?”

Querl smiles, imagining her, alone, with a small army of Legionnaires hovering before her.

“I’ll be with my new family.” He says, simply. “But let us get you back to yours first.”

“Yes, let’s.” Aya agrees, as he finally (for the first time in what feels like, and probably was, ages) activates the Time Bubble, and as they step in, Querl’s confidence starts to fade again.

 _Perhaps, even though Brainiac 6 was my own creation (albeit indirectly), he wasn’t the great crisis I was truly meant to face,_ he thinks.

_But as I said: I will not face said crisis alone._

He looks down at his two rings, both shining anew, and then over at Aya, who seems to almost glow herself, excited at the prospect of reuniting with her friends.

_As long as I decide so, I will never be alone again. Which, when facing any threat, can only be a good thing._

Even so, he hopes (remembering Brainiac 1, and how much of an influence he had over him, the sheer amount of destruction he was able to commit in his body) that it will be enough.

And that, now after taking down his mother’s soldier, she knows what he can do- and that she’s afraid, even though any of his relatives are far more likely to inflict fear than feel it themselves. But why can’t he be the same, even as a force for good? Why can’t he use his family’s symbol in the way people always perceive it, except against said family members themselves? Why can he not channel Kell for once, or Clark’s 21st century vigilante friend, instead of fighting his family image?

There’s no reason for him not to do so, especially now. Because, if only in her case, he doesn’t mind inflicting fear. In fact, just this once, he enjoys the idea of it.

_Be ready, Mother. I am._

~

“What are you thinking about?” Aya asks.

Querl sets his face to a neutral expression, before answering.

“Returning home.” He says. “And yourself?”

“The same.”

“Good.”

“How different do you think it will be?”

“What?”

Aya stands with her hands behind her back, looking out at the stars- or what would be the stars, if time slowed down. She’s no longer the figure of confidence and strength she was during the fight. Now, before him, stands the one who admitted she hurt her friends, hurt the one she loved, and regretted it so much that she sacrificed herself to set things right.

And she still regrets it.

“What will they think of me?” she asks. “Of what I did? How will things have changed?”

“Though I am proficient in differential calculus, there are some things not even I can predict.” Querl says. “And the changes to events, and locations, have been lost to time- but if your friends and loved one are anything like mine, they will welcome you back with open arms.”

“You believe that?”

“Indeed.” Querl says.

“They will forgive me?”

“You battled your demons and you won.” Querl answers. “Even though it may feel like you’re still fighting… I believe that whatever consequences may have come of your fight, you will be able to face them.”

“So will you.” Aya says.

She turns to him with a smile, and he returns it, as her hand reaches toward his. And by the time the Time Bubble stops moving, and Querl confirms their location, their hands have connected, and Aya’s ready to face her future.

~

“This is the right place, isn’t it, Aya?” Querl asks, seeing two Green Lanterns before them.

(although, seeing as how they’re in space, it doesn’t technically land- but it still stops in time, so the expression still stands. And the two of them are still left there, floating in midair while looking at two people Querl knows of, but he knows his new friend has a much stronger connection to one of them in particular)

“I don’t know where exactly we are.” Aya says. “However, given that he is here, I’m sure it is indeed.”

“Perfect.” Querl says, as their hands detach. “Shall we make ourselves known to them?”

Aya nods, smiling.

“We may as well.” She tells him, and the two of them move forward, until the other two there are alerted to their presence.

“Who’s there?” one of them, a man with dark hair, says, turning around and ready to shoot at them, holding out his arm with the Green Lantern ring on his hand.

 _The green light seems to have obstructed his vision,_ Querl thinks, and as soon as he lowers his hand slightly, he catches sight of Aya- and immediately puts his hand down, staring at her.

“Hello, Hal Jordan.” Aya announces. He’s floating beside someone Aya’s never seen before- another Green Lantern, this one a woman with brown skin and dark hair, a Lantern sigil constructed over and around one eye like a tattoo. She looks at Aya with a kind expression, though at the same time she’s also looking over at Querl, unable to stop looking at him in fact.

“Aya.” Hal says, a little bit breathtaken at the sight of her. “Hi.”

“Hello yourself.”

Hal keeps his eyes on her, continuing to blink as though he’s still not sure she’s actually there, before saying, “I hope you don’t mind if I hug you.”

“Not at all.” She says, and they do- Hal holds on longer than she predicted, especially with how their last meeting ended, but she doesn’t mind it one bit.

“So…” he continues, once he pulls away, gesturing at Querl. “Who’s this?”

Aya smiles, and gently takes Querl’s hand again. “This is my new friend, Lantern Dox.” She answers, refraining from asking the same question of Hal’s companion. Querl smiles as she squeezes his hand, a warm feeling going through him as he looks at the humans.

 _She called me her friend,_ he thinks. _We are friends now, it is official._

He doesn’t know why it’s taken this long for him to realize that, and come to terms with their new status. (Perhaps he never thought he would have a friend again… even though that was an unrealistic notion, even for him.)

But he’s grateful for it all the same, grateful for her in general, and he squeezes her hand back as she continues.

“Or, Querl, which is his first name. He’s the one who brought me here- and the one who found me, when I finally pulled myself back together.”

“Well, it’s great to meet you, Querl.” Hal answers, shaking his other hand.

“Likewise. Aya has spoken quite highly of you, since we met.”

Hal smiles, and says, “And I’m sure I’ll hear the same about you soon.”

He turns to Aya, as he adds, “You are staying now, right?”

“Of course.”

“Good. The Corps will be happy to have you back.”

“And I am happy to be back.”

 _The real you,_ he thinks, avoiding the subject of her one-time turn to the dark side. He hopes that won’t be an issue anymore, convincing everyone that she’s a good person- especially after how long she’s been gone-, but he can’t be sure.

There’s a sort of strangled sound, coming from the woman hovering behind Hal, and she floats forward, staring at him.

“Dox?” she asks, turning her head to the side, and then to the other, trying to get a better look at him. “As in, like Kaja Dox?”

“I believe Kaja was my distant ancestor, yes.” Querl says, taking his mask off to meet her eyes. “You knew her?”

He wants to ask how, especially seeing as how she doesn’t look 10 billion years old, but then again he doesn’t want to judge. So he waits for the explanation, as she keeps staring, before hesitantly starting to speak again.

“Well, yeah.” She says, eyes seeming to light up as she gets a look at the symbol on his forehead, as it’s now uncovered for the first time in their conversation. “Simon and I- my partner, Simon Baz, you’ll meet him later- we had a little adventure where we were sent back in time, long story, and ended up training the first 7 Green Lanterns. Kaja was one of them.”

Querl nods.

“I see.” He says. “I have had more than my own share of experiences with time travel- especially seeing as how I invented a method of doing so.”

“You did?” the woman asks. “Oh, wait, of course- it’s how you brought Aya back. You just said that.”

“Indeed.”

“When are you from? If you don’t mind me asking, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“The thirty-first century. And, if you don’t mind me asking this, what is your name?”

“Jessica Cruz. It’s really nice to meet you, Querl.”

“Likewise.” Querl says. She hovers by Hal with her hands behind her back, hesitant to move forward, but when Querl extends his hand, she eagerly shakes it. “And I would like to hear more about Kaja, too- especially from someone who knew her.”

Jessica smiles at him.

“I’d really like that.” She says, glancing over at Hal and Aya. “Maybe while they catch up? I feel like those two have a lot to talk about.”

“I believe that would be a wise decision.”

“Yeah, um…” Hal continues, addressing Aya. “It’s been six years- in Earth time- since you, uh, disappeared. So, a few other Lanterns have been recruited from Earth. Like Jessica here.” He gestures to her, and she flashes him a brief thumbs-up, hearing her name.

Aya nods.

“If you expected me to take offense, I do not.” She answers. “That is completely understandable, of course you would have more than one person guarding your sector. And your planet, for that matter.”

“That’s good.” Hal says. “But since we’re talking about _time_ , I’m pretty sure Razer would’ve waited a thousand years to see you- so he’ll be glad to know it didn’t take that long.”

Querl laughs, and Hal turns to him with a questioning look, as does Jessica.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing...”

“Really?”

“No. There’s nothing funny about this at all.”

 _Except for the fact that you are completely right,_ he thinks. _But that’s best worth explaining while sitting down, and not after running into someone in space. And perhaps Aya would like it better if she had all of her friends here when she explained what happened to her- especially this Razer._

But it’s not his place to judge her situation, so he only turns back to Jessica, as he hears Hal and Aya start to talk about Razer, and how they’ll set up a meeting with him.

“Ms. Cruz?” he asks.

“Yeah?”

“By any chance… do you know Superman?”

“Didn’t you just say you wanted to talk about Kaja?”

 _Alright, perhaps you are coming on too strong,_ he thinks. _She may not even know Superman, especially seeing as how she has only recently become a Green Lantern. That information can wait. And besides, you can see him in person, once you have sent Aya off._

“Right.” He says, shaking his head as he comes back to himself. “Let us talk about her. Forget I said anything about Superman.”

Jessica eyes him curiously.

“Okay…” she starts. “What did you want to know?”

 _Although also,_ she thinks, _I’d really like to know more about you. And Aya for that matter, actually._

But just like Querl’s questions about Superman, that can wait, and Querl doesn’t want to lose a single minute of hearing about his one good ancestor.

Besides, he can find out anything he wants about Superman later. This is the kind of information he can only get here and now, from one of its only sources.

“Start from the beginning- when you met her.”

“Okay. Here goes.”

~

He’s wearing a blue suit, when Aya finds him.

A blue suit, and the corresponding blue ring- and though Aya would have never thought of seeing him in those colors, she has to admit that being a Blue Lantern suits Razer.

“Can I help you?” he asks, turning around, as Aya taps him on the shoulder, intending to surprise.

If Razer were a Red Lantern, she might’ve been thrown somewhere, but he stays still, looking at her, as she examines him as well.

“It’s you.” Aya says. “It’s really you.”

“Of course it’s me.” Razer answers. “Now, are you really _you_ , Aya? Are you real? Or is my brain playing tricks on me?”

Aya takes his face in her hands, and kisses him.

“Did that feel like a trick to you?”

Razer stares at her, after the kiss, before pulling her in once again, and this time wrapping his arms around her.

“It really is you.” Is all he can say, whispering those words before continuing to kiss her, as Aya kisses back.

“I know this doesn’t make up for how long I’ve been gone.” Aya says, after one particularly long kiss. “But this is a start, isn’t it?”

“Of course, my love.”

And, Querl knows, it is, after Aya and her friends- including Jessica and her partner- hug him goodbye.

Which means it’s also the end of his friendship with Aya- and the beginning of his journey back to his teammates, where he truly belongs.

But first, as he’d intended in this century, a detour.

~

In the end, there’s a letter placed on Clark’s bed, folded very carefully and handwritten with similar attention.

_Dear Clark,_

_I am sorry that we did not meet in person this time- though I understand, at this point in both of your careers, that you are very busy, and would not be able to see me, as much as either of us may have wanted to reunite. But I will not speak for you, so I will just say that I wanted to see you again, though currently, this letter suffices as I imagine you will read this at some point in the near future._

_Nonetheless, I wanted to deliver this to you personally, but will be satisfied with you reading this and knowing that this very well may be our final goodbye. And until that is contradicted, I will treat this as though it is._

_You may be wondering about this as you read. “But Brainy,” you may say, “Wasn’t our final goodbye the last time we talked?”_

_The answer is yes, (however many years ago that may have been for you- I apologize, if it has been long enough that you don’t remember that conversation) but the universe brought me to your century once more, as I was on a mission to reunite one of its denizens with her true love. And in the process, I realized- or perhaps I did all along- that I love you, Clark Kent. This is the result of my emotions being sorted out, as I told you I would do before, and I cannot ignore (or hide, as if in boxes) this conclusion any longer. You may ignore this, however, and that I would accept and understand._

_The point is, I am so happy for you, and grateful that you were in my life for as long as you were. I will never forget you, and I hope that one day, somehow, I will be able to tell you all of this in person. But for the moment, I also hope you will accept this letter instead._

_Know that I myself have gotten closure, as it were, with my demons, and that I am working on happiness. That is all I can say, at the moment, but it is enough to build off of. (I would say “You don’t need to worry about me”, but I know you may, so: I am fine. Life as I know it is good, using the term loosely. There’s room for improvement.)_

_Ultimately, all I truly intended to say can be laconicised as: thank you. And, goodbye, my love._

_Eternally yours,_

_Querl Dox_

_Post-script: If you work with the Green Lantern Corps, at some point in the future or at all, please give the Lanterns Hal Jordan, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, and Kilowog the best on my behalf, and tell Razer that if he ever finds his way to the 41st century to seek out Kell-El. Additionally, in said situation, I suggest that you look for information on Jan-Al- I believe you would find her story intriguing. And tell Aya thank you for everything, and that I miss her already._

As Querl’s leaving, however, he hears a message after the answering machine picks up the phone in Clark’s apartment.

(He thinks about answering himself, for just a moment. But upon second thought, he can’t- Clark can’t know he was here, aside from placing the letter on the bed)

Querl, instinctively, smiles as Clark’s voice fills the apartment, closing the door in on himself as he does so in case anyone is there outside, and/or listening in. Surely, the future can wait at least a few more minutes, and he’s sure his friends will understand when he tells them about the delay.

If he was superstitious, or believed in the concept of fate, he might even say after the message began that it felt as though he were meant to be there, even if it cost him time- and he could say as much to his friends.

(If he even needs to- considering he can come back right after he leaves, it’s practically a non-issue. However, he will probably tell them, if only for honesty’s sake)

“Hey.” Clark says, sounding out of breath. He lets out a nervous, forced laugh, before continuing to speak. “I guess I don’t have to say that, but that’s not the point. I don’t have time to write this down, so… Reminder to myself: tell Lois I’ll be late getting back to Metropolis with the new article. And tell someone- I’ll figure out who later- that I found something. Someone… and her pod looks like mine.”

Querl stares at the phone, for one more second, before opening the Time Bubble and getting into it, sending himself back home.

Home- the thirty-first century, broadly, but more specifically, the Legion headquarters.

 _The future,_ he thinks, _is going to be quite different now. And I’m ready to face it._

_Whatever- or whoever- it may bring to me._

~

End

**Author's Note:**

> a very happy birthday to my good friend Julianne! not sure how much of this will be posted by your birthday, but I hope you at least like this part! (and that other people do too, even though this is incredibly self-indulgent and filling a very specific niche.)
> 
> (also this is probably going to end up being longer than my other self-indulgent niche fic, No Connection? but I hope it's good anyway)


End file.
